4 Tips for Effective Business Card Design
Monroe County, Tennessee includes the communities of Coker Creek, Madisonville, Sweetwater, Tellico Plains, and Vonore
We're all aware of the fact that paper products are slowly being replaced with electronic presentations and online technology. Phone books have long since been replaced by search engines. Magazines are begrudgingly focusing on their online content. Books are being replaced by eBooks with the introduction of devices like Apple’s iPad and the Kindle. However, one item that still remains strong in a paper format is the business card.
Perhaps one day the business card will become extinct. For now however, business cards remain the primary method used to quickly and effectively exchange information between two individuals. As a result, business card design is still as important as ever. For every well-designed business card out there, I see numerous business cards that are examples of poor design and ineffectiveness. In this article, I’ll share a few tips to help you design an effective business card.
- Have One Focal Point... Know Your Purpose
Before you consider a design ask yourself: "What is the purpose of this business card?" Most people will immediately answer: To share my contact information. While this may be the basic purpose for some, it may not be for others
For example, a photographer may be looking to meet new clients. Chances are, he/she will not be hired without that potential client (and business card recipient) seeing their work. Perhaps, then, the main purpose of the card should be to direct the recipient to their online portfolio, and only that.
In this case, showing only the url to a portfolio is a unique way to present the business, and the resulting simplicity will pique the interest of the recipient and hopefully result in more follow-throughs to the website. After the recipient has viewed the portfolio, a well-designed website will allow the viewer to easily contact you.
You want to give people a reason to continue to look at it and draw them in. If you have more than one business or you provide more than one type of service, consider a separate business card for each business or service.
- Simplify, Simplify, Simplify
A common mistake, especially amongst small business owners with small budgets, to try and “maximize” expenses. While this can seem to make sense, it can actually hurt you as it leads to information overload when it comes to design. There's a tendency to want to fill every inch of space with contact info, mission statements, summaries of their business, and the like. I understand the reasoning – the more information presented, the better your client or customer will understand my business, and the better chance I have at getting their business. Unfortunately information overload leads to ineffective design.
With that in mind – simplify your business card design. Design to the purpose of the business card. Be self aware and understand that while you may think that your vision and mission statements are incredibly interesting, they might not belong on a business card. Keep in mind that a standard business card is 2 inches by 3.5 inches and you don’t need to fill that space with the company’s life story.
The point of a business card is to present a company’s basic information to the recipient in an easily digestible manner and in a manner that visually reflects your business. Overloading a business card with information that can come later in the developing client relationship is a mistake that should be avoided. Remember... a business card is not a business’ biography.
- Know Your Audience
Like it or not, people will judge a business quickly and on a few factors. Things like the ten second elevator pitch, the logo, and the business card are very important when making that first impression with a client. With that in mind, say you're an interior designer who has clients with very fine, high end tastes. What card stock do you think these cards should be printed on? Probably a high-end, heavy duty stock. Do you think you should be using a well-designed, classy typeface or a free, playful typeface with curly serifs? Probably the former. All these elements are picked up on, either consciously or subconsciously, by the recipient of the card. The impression the client gets from the design of the card can be the difference between a follow-through phone call and the card going in the garbage.
The high-end business card design is a somewhat typical example, but think outside the box a bit. Say you're a an environmental non-profit group. It might be worthwhile to explore printing the card on recycled paper, or printing smaller-than-standard size cards so as to reduce waste. The main point here is: know your audience, know their tastes, and create a design that will appeal to them.
- Use the Back of the Card
Take advantage of the extra real estate on the other side to add valuable information about your business. Perhaps a map to your location, key points about your services, discounts, coupons, or any call to action that will add value to your business card.
A business card is actually a form of self marketing that is designed to communicate details about you and what your company does. A well designed business card is critical to any business. A good card is created to draw attention and encourage sales. If your business card cannot convince people to buy from you or make you stand out in the market, then your card is not as effective as you think it is.
Monroe County, Tennessee includes the communities of Coker Creek, Madisonville, Sweetwater, Tellico Plains, and Vonore
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